Over 30 civil society organisations and bar associations in Turkey have called for urgent legal reforms to recognise the “right to hope” for prisoners, a move that aligns with ongoing Kurdish peace talks demanding the release of Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan. The statement was delivered at the premises of the Society and Law Research Foundation (TOHAV), an organisation dedicated to social and legal research based in Beyoğlu, İstanbul, on Monday.
The coalition, including the Human Rights Association (İHD) and the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), argued that Turkey’s current system of life imprisonment—in which prisoners face detention until death without review—violates international human rights standards. They stressed that recognising the right to hope, which allows for the review and potential conditional release of life sentences, is essential for social peace and for the alignment of Turkey’s justice system with democratic principles.
İHD co-chair Eren Keskin noted that the abolition of the death penalty in Turkey following the 1999 arrest of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan should have led to such reforms. “The right to hope is not a gift to prisoners; it is a requirement,” she said, noting Turkey’s obligation as a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights to comply with rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
This call for the right to hope coincides with renewed efforts to resolve Turkey’s decades-long Kurdish conflict, which has seen recent peace talks gain momentum. On 27 February, Öcalan, who has been imprisoned since 1999, urged the PKK to disarm and disband to end 40 years of fighting with the Turkish state. Kurdish groups, including the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party, have demanded Öcalan’s release as a condition for meaningful negotiations, viewing it as a critical step toward trust-building and addressing systemic human rights issues, such as those raised by the civil society coalition.
TOHAV co-chair Destina Yıldız referred to a 2014 ECtHR ruling known as “Öcalan (2)”, which found that Turkey’s aggravated life imprisonment system, particularly for crimes against the state, the constitution or national defence, denies prisoners any prospect of release, effectively mirroring the death penalty. She explained that over 4,000 prisoners endure severe isolation under this system, stripped of social ties and the legal right to reintegrate into society.
Yıldız noted that the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers would review Turkey’s compliance with ECtHR rulings in September 2025, warning of potential international repercussions if reforms are not implemented. “Turkey must establish independent review mechanisms and align its penal system with human dignity,” she urged. Serkan Kılıç from the ÖHD’s İstanbul branch added that the group would escalate the issue to the Committee of Ministers if the government fails to act.
The coalition framed the recognition of the right to hope as a step towards broader democratisation in Turkey, potentially supporting the Kurdish peace process by addressing systemic injustices faced by prisoners, including Öcalan. They called on parliament, political parties and civil society in general to unite in advocating for these reforms, emphasising their legal, political and social significance.
